President Donald Trump, a man who has never been accused of underselling anything, told reporters on Tuesday that he is planning a primetime address for Thursday evening that will cover the 2020 presidential election. He described the upcoming content as, well, let him tell you.
"It's really, really big news, and our country has to shape up. But that's what we're going to be talking about Thursday. It doesn't get bigger because without free and fair elections you don't have a country," Trump said, as Trending Politics reported.
So if you were hoping Thursday night's programming would be a quiet evening of competitive baking shows, you might want to adjust your expectations. The address is expected to cover longstanding claims about the 2020 election outcome, including assertions about foreign interference, voting machines, and election integrity. Previous reports indicate Trump plans to reference newly declassified information to back up these claims.
The Washington Post reported on the planned speech, which will apparently feature some notable guests. CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte are scheduled to participate. Pulte has been overseeing a review of documents slated for declassification, which is the kind of project that sounds like it involves a lot of filing cabinets and very long nights.
The timing lines up with some significant federal activity in Georgia. The FBI has directed a surge of additional personnel to support an investigation centered on Fulton County concerning aspects of the 2020 election. An internal FBI memo issued earlier this month called for 260 investigative analysts and staff operations specialists from field offices nationwide to assist with what was described as a "priority investigation." Each analyst is tasked with completing approximately 708 records checks by July 17. The memo authorized overtime, including weekends and holidays, because nothing says summer fun like reviewing ballot records on the Fourth of July weekend.
These analysts are specialists in record review rather than special agents, so think less action movie and more very intense library session.
This all builds on FBI investigations that have been ongoing for months. Back in January, federal agents conducted a raid on an election warehouse in Fulton County and seized more than 600 boxes of materials. Those boxes included original ballots from the 2020 election, along with tapes, voter rolls, and images. The expanded personnel allocation represents a significant increase in resources dedicated to reviewing all that seized material.
So Thursday night it is. Whether this turns out to be the political equivalent of opening Al Capone's vault or something with more substance remains to be seen. Trump is certainly not lacking in confidence about how it will land. But then again, when has he ever been?
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